WTF: Celery Juice

Celery juice is the latest wellness fad having a *moment* these days. Is it just us or did this happen virtually overnight? Suddenly, we can’t go on Instagram without seeing someone “enjoying” a 16 oz. glass of celery juice. But why? What is all the hype about? And… does it taste good?

As with every health + wellness trend, there are some pretty bold claims and, naturally, plenty of controversy surrounding celery juice. Is it a cure-all magical potion, a total scam, or something in between? Here’s what we know…

What is celery juice?

Not to state the obvious here, but celery juice is 100% celery, juiced, with the pulp (a.k.a. fiber) strained out.

Beyond just what celery juice is, there are suggested guidelines for drinking said juice to maximize the supposed health benefits. These guidelines include drinking 16 oz. of [preferably organic] celery juice straight—nothing added, including ice—first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, and then waiting at least 15 minutes before eating. It’s also recommended to drink it fresh, right after juicing the celery. (There goes the idea of adding celery juice to your Sunday meal prep for the week.)

What are the health benefits of celery juice?

Let’s start with celery. Obviously, given that it’s a vegetable, celery has it’s own health benefits. Celery contains vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, folate, manganese, calcium, riboflavin, magnesium, and vitamin B6. Studies show that celery may help fight against cancer and liver disease, reduce inflammation and boost cardiovascular health. Celery is also low in calories and sugar, as well as a good source of fiber. But that fiber is stripped out, along with the benefits of that fiber, when celery is juiced.

So what are the health benefits of celery juice? According to Anthony Williams (a.k.a. the Medical Medium), celery juice is “one of the greatest healing tonics of all time”. Again, according to the MM, “It helps digestion problems, constipation, gas, bloating, acid reflux, acne, UTIs, sinus problems, Lyme disease, even ADHD….” Damn. At this point, a little voice in my head is shouting, wondering why every grocery store and restaurant isn’t selling celery juice by the gallon (they’re missing out on so much profit if this is all true!).

But, what gives celery juice all of these added benefits if it’s just 100% celery, minus the fiber? According to the MM, “undiscovered cluster salts” are the key benefit of drinking celery juice versus eating celery whole. Undiscovered by science, that is. “These cluster salts are not just mineral salts; they’re far more specialized. Mineral salts are critical for our bodies to function, but there is an undiscovered subgroup of sodium that I call cluster salts, and these are unique and special in the way they support the liver’s personalized immune system and bind onto toxins and help flush them from the liver.” Hmm.

Why is celery juice so popular?

Up until this part of our research, the whole celery-juice thing was sounding pretty intriguing. I mean, look at all of those health benefits! But this is where the whole thing gets a little weird. The Medical Medium (mentioned above), claims to be the originator of the “global celery juice movement”. For the record, he has no nutritional or medical background—he claims that he is guided by a Spirit, who has been sending him clear messages via his right ear since he was 4. It turns out he has been preaching this health hack for the past 20 years (since he was 8 years old). But recently, celebrities and influencers have been picking up on this trend. Hence, the onslaught of bright green drinks grazing your IG feed. Hey… is that celery juice smelling a little fishy to you?

How do I make celery juice?

If you have a juicer, it’s as easy as putting one bunch of celery through the juicer per your juicer’s instructions. If you don’t have a juicer, you can still make celery juice in a Vitamix/Nutribullet/blender. Roughly chop up one bunch of celery and place it in your blender with about 1/2 cup water. Blend until smooth. Then, using a strainer, cheesecloth or nut milk bag, strain out the pulp, so you’re left with a bright-green juice. Drink immediately or refrigerate in an airtight jar until ready to consume.

How does celery juice taste?

To be perfectly honest, I expected celery juice to be repulsive. I’m not a big celery fan (clearly), so the thought of drinking 100% pure celery was not appealing to me in the slightest. Alas, it didn’t taste nearly as bad as I anticipated. Juicing the celery removes the bitterness, and what you’re left with is pretty mild in flavor. I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard if you add a little fresh lemon juice, it helps with the taste. Although, that would be going against the MM’s recommendation to keep the celery juice pure for the maximum benefits.

The bottom line

We personally haven’t experimented with celery juice enough to say whether or not it truly is life changing. But, TBH, it seems like a fad with little-to-no scientific evidence behind it.

As with any and all changes to your diet, it’s best to do your research and consult with a doctor and/or nutritionist before starting or stopping anything major. Is drinking celery juice every morning going to hurt you? Probably not. Is it going to change your life? Maybe. Is it going to cost you a lot of money to buy one bunch of organic celery per day and a lot of time juicing all that celery? Probably. The bottom line is that you decide what’s worth it to you and what’s going to make you feel your best.

We’re all for trying new things out in the name of health and wellness, but remember that a lot of the things out there are heavily-influenced trends with little scientific support to back them up. We have to remind ourselves of this regularly, too.

So, have you given celery juice a try? What do you think? We’d love to hear about any personal experiences—good or bad!

This post is part of our WTF series—where we’ll break down some of the latest food, fitness, and health + wellness trends blowing up your Instagram feed.